BMW Z4 GTE Will Race for RLL Racing in ALMS

BMWBMWGermany, 1918 > present87 models
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unveiled its new Z4BMW Z4 Gen.2Germany, 2009 > present42 versions
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GTE at Daytona International Speedway. The car will be campaigned by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in the American Le Mans Series, and for this year at least, the car will only be raced in North America. The Z4 GTE will replace the M3 GTs that RLL had previously raced in the ALMS. The car will make its race debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 16.

BMW began developing the car in July 2012 and began on-track testing in January 2013. It is based on the Z4 GT3BMW Z4 GT3Germany, 2010 > present7 photos
but modified to comply with ACO regulations. Modifications include removing the ABS and stability control from the GT3 car. The dimensions of the car have also been modified to meet ACO regulations, but the car is still smaller than the M3 GTBMW M3 GTRGermany, 2009 > present4 photos
that it replaces.

Both BMW and team principal Bobby Rahal admit this this will be a development year for the car. The team has also added two new drivers to its roster in Maxime Martin and John Edwards. If the new car and new drivers were not enough of a challenge, RLL will switch from Dunlop tires to Michelin tires for the Z4 GTE. 

“All of us at BMW Motorsport and BMW Team RLL are very curious to see how the first few races pan out with the new BMW Z4 GTE. We are setting out on a development year, but are very confident we have once again developed a car that has the potential to win races and titles in the form of the BMW Z4 GTE," said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt.

RLL Racing also announced its driver lineup during the presentation. Bill Auberlen and ALMS rookie Maxime Martin will drive car #55. Car #56 will be driven by Dirk Müller and alternate between Joey Hand and John Edwards. Hand is not available for all of the races because he will also race for BMW in the DTM again this season. For the endurance races at Sebring and Road Atlanta, Jörg Müller will drive the #55 car, and Uwe Alzen will drive the #56 car.